WEBVTT rtSOLEDAD: I'M SOLEDAD O'BRIEN. WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT."BEFORE WE TURN TO THE LATESTPOLITICAL FIRESTORMS, WE LOOK ATAMERICA'S NATURAL STORMS.HURRICANE IRMA LEFT FLORIDA,rtDEVASTATING HOMES ANDBUSINESSES.AND HOUSTONIANS ARE STILLDIGGING OUT OF MOUNTAINS OFDEBRIS FROM DEADLY HURRICANEHARVEY. rtCATASTROPHIC DAMAGE AND A LONGRECOVERY AHEAD.THROUGHOUT THIS SHOW, WE'LL LKAT MOMENTS WHERE ORDINARY PEOPLEFACE THESE EXTRAORDINARYrtCHALLENGES -- AND HOW THEY HAVEMET THEM WITH BRAVERY,COMPASSION, AND EVEN ACTS OFKINDNESS.THESE FOLKS ARE POWERFULREMINDERS THAT DESPITE OrtURCURRENT DIVISIONS, WE ARE AT OURBEST WHEN WE COME TOGETHER.PARTISAN POLITICAL DIVISIONS ARETHE FOCUS OF A CASE THE SUPREMErtCOURT WILL HEAR IN JUST TWOWEEKS.THE CASE, OUT OF THE STATE OFWISCONSIN, IS SENDING SHOCKWAVES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.THE QUESTION BEFORE THE COURT:IS IT OK FOR THE POLITICAL PARTYrtIN CONTROL OF THE STATELEGISLATURE TO DRAW MAPS THATGIVE AN OVERWHELMING ADVANTAGETO THEIR OWN PARTY? HERE'S SOME BACKGROUND.rtELECTORAL DISTRICTS ARE REDRAWNEVERY 10 YEARS, AFTER THECENSUS, TO ALLOW FOR SHIFTS INPOPULATION.AFTER THE 2020 CENSUS, STArtTESWILL HAVE A CHANCE TO ALTER THEMAGAIN.PARTY INTERESTS CAN DRAW THEMAPS TO THEIR OWN ADVANTAGE, BYCLUSTERING VOTERS FOR ONE PARTYrtIN ONE DISTRICT OR SPREADINGTHEM OUT ACROSS MULTIPLE ONES.GERRYMANDERING TO EXCLUDE ORINCLUDE PEOPLE BY RACE HAS BEENrtOUTLAWED, BUT PARTISANGERRYMANDERING TO FAVOR A PARTYIS STILL TECHNICALLYPERMISSIBLE.JESSICA GOMEZ REPORTS ON ANrtUNLIKELY PAIR POISED TODRAMATICALLY CHANGE THE NATION'POLITICAL LANDSCAPE.>> WELL, THIS FARM HAS BEEN rtINOUR FAMILY ALMOST 150 YEARS.JESSICA: THIS IS WHERE FORMERSTATE SENATOR DALE SCHULTZ NOWSPENDS MUCH OF HIS TIME.HIS WISCONSIN FARM.rtDALE SCHULTZ: AFTER A LIFETIMEOF BEING IN THE LEGISLATURE, YOUCAN WELL IMAGINE THERE IS ANAWFUL LOT OF DEFERREDMAINTENANCE AROUND HERE.JESSICA: POLITICS, LIKE FARrtMING,THE REPUBLICAN SAYS, HAVECHANGED HERE IN WISCONSIN.DALE SCHULTZ: THERE'S SOMETHINGrtSAD ABOUT PEOPLE THINKING OF THEFOLKS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THEAISLE AS BEING THE ENEMY. rtJESSICA: THAT'S WHY SCHULTZ ISTEAMING UP WITH FORMERDEMOCRATIC STATE LAWMAKER TIMCULLrtEN. FOR FOUR YEARS NOW, THEY'VETHE STATE.AN UNLIKELY PAIR OF POLITICIANSFIGHTING A BATTLE MANY SAIDWOULD GO NOWHERE OVER THELONG-HELD TRADITION OF PARTISANGERRYMANDERING.TIM CULLEN: I'D USE THE SAMErtWORDS THE FEDERAL JUDGE USEDIT'S UNCONS, IT DEPRIVES PEOPLE OF THEVALUE OF THEIR VOTE." JESSICA: IN A GRASSROOTS EFFORT,rtTHE FORMER MAJORITY LEADER'STEAMED UP WITH THE NONN"FAIR ELECTIONS PROJECT."LAVICTORY, A FEDERAL COURT UPHELDTHEIR CLAIM THAT IN 2011, THErtREPUBLICANS CONTROLLING THEWISCONSIN LEGISLATUREPARTICIPATED IN UNCOONAND EXTREME PARTISANGERRYMANDERING, CARVrtING OUT NEWASSEMBLY DISTRICTS FOR THEIR OWNPOLITICAL ADVANTAGE.>>rtWHEN MAJOR DREW THE MAPS,THEY JOBFOR 10 YEARS.CAN YOU GUARANTEErt YOURSELF YOURJOB FOR THE NEXT 1JESSICA: THAT GUARANTEE THEY SAYHAPPENED IN THE NEXT ELECTIONrt IN2012 WHEN WISCONSIN DEMOCRATSGOT S BUTREPUBLICANS WALKED AWAY WITHMORE ASSEMBLY SEATS.rt>> EVEN IF THEYLOSE, THEY GETTHE MAJORITY.JESSICA:rtWISCONSIN REPUBLICANSSAY THAT H DREW THE MAP AND OTHERS AREFRUSTRATED THEY KEEPrt LOSING.>> THE SUPREME COURT HAS NEVERHELD T UNCONSTITUTIONAL.rtJESSICA:SrtULG WHO VOTED FORTHE MAP BACK T SAYS IT IS NOTFAIR.rt>> IT GOT ME THINKING ABOUTFAIRNESS AND THE PEOPLE'S WILLPREVAILING.JESSICA: IN 2011, HELEN HArtRRIS'NEIGHBORHOOD WAS SPLIT FROM THEREST OF THE DISTRICT IN WHICHSHE'S LIVED FOR NEARLY 20 YEARSO THIS IS YOUR DISTRICT PRIORTO 2011?rtJESSICA: HER NEW DISTRICT ADDEDTO SUBURBAN MILWAUKEE Art, REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLD.HELEN HARRIS: IT MAKES YOU FEELISSUES YOU CARE ABOUT ARE NOTBEING REPRESENTED.JESSICA: HARRIS IS NOW APLAINTIFF IN THE CASE ABOUT TOrtCOURIF UPHELD, STATE ANDrtCONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTSE CHALLENGED,POTENTIALLY SHIFTINGAN POWER FOR BOTH PARTIES.TIM CULLEN: EVERYBODY JUST SAIDTHAT'S WHAT THOSE POLITICIANS DrtIN MADISON OR THE DEMOCRATSWOULD HAVE DONE .AND I SAID, YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO GET RIDFIT. YOU COULD DO IT TO MARYLAND ORMASSACHUSETTS OR RHODErt ISLAND.IT'S JUST THE REVERSE.THGERRYMANDERING THERE.>> MAYBE WrtE OUGHT TO LOOK PEOPLEIN THE EYE AND SAY, "YOU KNOWWHAT?YOU'RE RIGHT, AND WEABOUT PUTTING YOU BACK IN CHARGEOF THE POLITICAL PROCESS OF THISCOUNTRY.rt

BIPARTISAN PAIR JOIN FORCES TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM

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Updated: 5:25 PM CDT Sep 15, 2017

In two weeks, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for a partisan gerrymandering case from the state of Wisconsin. It will be the first of its kind in over a decade. Partisan gerrymandering happens when district lines are drawn to create safe districts where one political party has an overwhelming advantage over the other party due to which voters were grouped together. The big question – can political parties in control of the state legislature deliberately draw district maps to benefit their party? Correspondent Jessica Gomez meets the unlikely political pair who want to see redistricting taken out of the hands of statehouses.